Faridabad: Closed shop’s canopy collapse leaves two dead in Ballabhgarh

The victims were visiting their sister when they stopped at the closed shop and sat on its stairs before the structure gave way.

Two people were killed after a canopy and concrete lintel of a closed roadside shop collapsed on them near Chawla Colony in Faridabad’s Ballabhgarh on Wednesday, police said.

Police said the shop had remained shut for three days and appeared old and dilapidated, with recent rain possibly weakening the structure. (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

The victims, Amarjeet (single name), 27, a native of Munger and Santosh (single name), 24, a native of Bhagalpur, in Bihar, were cousins and lived in Jeevan Nagar, Sector-23, Faridabad. The incident took place at 10am, police said.

A senior police officer said the duo were visiting their sister in Sarai in Sector-37. They stopped at the shop for tea and snacks, but found it shut. “They sat on the stairs when the concrete lintel and a heavy canopy suddenly collapsed, trapping them under the debris,” he said.

Police said locals pulled them out and rushed them to government hospital in Ballabgarh, where doctors declared them dead on arrival.

Police said the shop was owned by a resident of Ahirwara. It sold soft drinks, tea and other items and had been closed for the past three days.

Inspector Umesh Kumar, station house officer of the City Ballabgarh police station said the structure appeared to be old and in a dilapidated condition. Recent heavy rain may have further weakened it, leading to its collapse.

“Both bodies have been shifted to the mortuary at the Badshah Khan civil hospital where an autopsy will be carried out on Thursday,” he said.

Kumar said the family members of both deceased are expected to reach Faridabad on Thursday and further legal action will depend on the complaint filed by the families.

“If the family alleges any negligence by the property owner, an FIR will be registered accordingly,” he added.